Stone Roses legend Ian Brown looks like being a lot of help to Chorley band The Shoks.

The four-piece punks supported the Madchester icon at his show at Preston's 53 Degrees this week after he texted their drummer – his friend and British welterweight champ, Michael Jennings – to offer them the gig.

After the gig, he told the Lancashire Evening Post that he reckoned his mate of around four years had passed the test and he now plans to offer them more support slots.

He said: "Yeah, for sure, although next year, he's going to be defending his title. But if he's got some time off, I'll give him more."

He recalled meeting the boxer, with whom he has been friends for around four or five years, by spotting him in the front row at a gig.

He said: "I saw him in the crowd when I was onstage. I always look out for the kids and I could see he was dancing but he was looking out for people around him too and I liked that.

"Then I saw him later after the gig and just went up and started talking to him. I've known him and his brother for years now.

"Afterwards he told me that he was a fighter and he was going to be a world champion. I just believed him.

"The lad told me he trained to my music. That meant the world to me."

A grinning Michael Jennings said it had been easily the biggest gig ever played by The Shoks – who also feature his brother David and Sam Gee on guitar, singer Scott McCormack and bass player Ned Hardy. He said: "It was brilliant! We saw people at the front, completely still at first, and then after a few songs, they started to get their heads moving."

Despite problems with the sound and occasionally with Brown's voice, both performances went down well. But, considering they had just shared a stage, there was a vast difference in their plans for the following night.

While Brown headlined Scottish festival, T In The Park, The Shoks played a tiny invitation-only free gathering on a farm near Chorley called Glastonburrows, a tongue-in-cheek reference to Glastonbury.

Brown admitted he offered them the 53 Degrees gig on the spur of the moment after Jennings texted to ask if he was still playing Preston. He said: "I answered, 'Yeah, I am, do you wanna play it?'."

Brown also confirmed that he is still hoping to play a gig, in the style of Johnny Cash at San Quentin, inside Preston Prison.

He said he had permission to do the show but wanted to make it part of a small prison tour – and the hold-up was caused by the fact that only Preston had committed to the idea. He said: "I've got a friend who works there and I have permission from the governor that I can play there. Once I got the go-ahead from Preston, I started looking for other places to play. I still hope that idea is going to come off."